Blackie
Encyclopedia
Blackie is the affectionate nickname given by Eric Clapton
to his favorite Fender Stratocaster
.
Eric Clapton switched from using Gibson
guitar
s and began to use Stratocasters in 1970, largely due to the influence of Jimi Hendrix
and of Blind Faith
bandmate Steve Winwood
. His first, nicknamed "Brownie
", due to its sunburst brown finish, was used on his albums Eric Clapton
and Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
.
In the same year, Clapton found the Sho-Bud guitar shop in Nashville, Tennessee
. He bought six vintage Strats for a hundred US dollars each. After giving one each to George Harrison
, Pete Townshend
and Steve Winwood
, he took the best parts of the remaining three (built c.
1956 and 1957) and assembled "Blackie", so named for its black finish.
It was first played live January 13, 1973 at the Rainbow Concert
. Clapton would play Blackie for many years on and off stage (such as in his guest appearance in The Last Waltz
); finally, after a tour concert in Hartford
in 1985, it was retired due to issues with the neck. In 1987 the Eric Clapton Stratocaster
was released according to Clapton's specifications; he began playing his new signature model shortly after.
One of the last known occasions when Blackie was seen by the public was for a 1990 television commercial for the Japanese automobile firm Honda
when, at the specific request of the company, Clapton used Blackie to record a new guitar solo on Bad Love
in New York and was filmed for the commercial doing so. Blackie was also brought out on stage for one number during the Royal Albert Hall
shows in 1991.
959,500 at a Christie's
auction
to support the Crossroads Centre
, a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centre founded by Clapton. The final bid was cast by the United States
nationwide music equipment chain Guitar Center
, causing Clapton's guitar to set the record as the world's most expensive guitar. (In 2006, another Stratocaster, signed by a large group of celebrities, including Clapton, was auctioned to benefit the victims
of the 2004 Asian tsunami
, selling for $US2.6 million, surpassing Blackie's record.)
, identical to the original. They were released on November 24, 2006 and sold out within hours. The original Blackie was exhaustively examined and measured for the reproduction. The reproduction Blackies were constructed by a team of master builders, with each of the various 275 produced being assigned to one master builder.
One of these "Blackie" replicas has been played by Clapton during a gig at the Royal Albert Hall
on May 17th, 2006.
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
to his favorite Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
.
Eric Clapton switched from using Gibson
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s and began to use Stratocasters in 1970, largely due to the influence of Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and of Blind Faith
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
bandmate Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
. His first, nicknamed "Brownie
Brownie (guitar)
Brownie was the affectionate name to a Fender Stratocaster that was used extensively by Eric Clapton during the early 70's, most notably with Derek and the Dominos on their album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs....
", due to its sunburst brown finish, was used on his albums Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton (album)
Eric Clapton is the eponymous debut solo album from Eric Clapton, released in August of 1970.-Track listing - original 1970 release:All selections written by Delaney Bramlett, Bonnie Bramlett and Eric Clapton, except as indicated.-Side one:...
and Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is a blues-rock album by Derek and the Dominos, released in November 1970, best known for its eponymous title track, "Layla"...
.
In the same year, Clapton found the Sho-Bud guitar shop in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. He bought six vintage Strats for a hundred US dollars each. After giving one each to George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
and Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, he took the best parts of the remaining three (built c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1956 and 1957) and assembled "Blackie", so named for its black finish.
It was first played live January 13, 1973 at the Rainbow Concert
Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert
Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert is an album recorded live at London's Rainbow Theatre on January 13, 1973, and released within the year. The concert was organized by Pete Townshend and marked Eric Clapton's comeback after the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh...
. Clapton would play Blackie for many years on and off stage (such as in his guest appearance in The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz was a concert by the rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco...
); finally, after a tour concert in Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
in 1985, it was retired due to issues with the neck. In 1987 the Eric Clapton Stratocaster
Eric Clapton Stratocaster
The Eric Clapton Stratocaster is the signature model electric guitar of English guitarist Eric Clapton, and was the first signature model guitar ever released by Fender.-Background:...
was released according to Clapton's specifications; he began playing his new signature model shortly after.
One of the last known occasions when Blackie was seen by the public was for a 1990 television commercial for the Japanese automobile firm Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
when, at the specific request of the company, Clapton used Blackie to record a new guitar solo on Bad Love
Bad Love (Eric Clapton song)
"Bad Love", is a rock song from Eric Clapton's 1989 album Journeyman, released as the second single of the album. It was composed by Eric Clapton and Foreigner lead guitarist Mick Jones and features Phil Collins on drums and harmony vocals, Alan Clark on keyboards and Pino Palladino on bass guitar...
in New York and was filmed for the commercial doing so. Blackie was also brought out on stage for one number during the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
shows in 1991.
World Record Price
In 2004, Blackie was sold for $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
959,500 at a Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
to support the Crossroads Centre
Crossroads Centre
The Crossroads Centre is a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centre located on the Caribbean island of Antigua. The centre was founded by guitarist Eric Clapton & Richard Conte, CEO of The Priory Hospitals Group and Transitional Hospitals Corporation . All development of the facility was...
, a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centre founded by Clapton. The final bid was cast by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nationwide music equipment chain Guitar Center
Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the largest chain of musical instrument retailers in the world with 223 locations throughout the United States. Its headquarters is in Westlake Village, California....
, causing Clapton's guitar to set the record as the world's most expensive guitar. (In 2006, another Stratocaster, signed by a large group of celebrities, including Clapton, was auctioned to benefit the victims
Humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was prompted by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. On 26 December 2004, the earthquake, which struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, generated a tsunami that wreaked havoc along much of the...
of the 2004 Asian tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
, selling for $US2.6 million, surpassing Blackie's record.)
Custom Shop Reproduction
In November 2006, Fender announced a limited run of 275 Blackie reissues by the Fender Custom ShopFender Custom Shop
The Fender Custom Shop is a division of Fender Musical Instruments, housed within their headquarters complex in Corona, Riverside County, California. The Fender Custom Shop primarily exists to compete with smaller companies and independent luthiers that, in turn, build products reminiscent of those...
, identical to the original. They were released on November 24, 2006 and sold out within hours. The original Blackie was exhaustively examined and measured for the reproduction. The reproduction Blackies were constructed by a team of master builders, with each of the various 275 produced being assigned to one master builder.
One of these "Blackie" replicas has been played by Clapton during a gig at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
on May 17th, 2006.